Female Athletes

This isn't the first time that Kaatie Akstinat has appeared on this blog, and I expect it won't be the last. Akstinat weaves a spell when she performs, leaving the viewer (supposing he or she isn't abiotic) dreamy-souled. Bask anew in her artistry and athleticism:

In what can fairly be described as one of the more exciting finishes in recent MMA history, Strikeforce 135-pound champion Sarah Kaufman knocked out Roxanne Modafferi with a "power bomb" Friday night—that is to say, she lifted Modafferi high off the canvas and slammed her back down with such force that Modafferi was effectively knocked unconscious.

The happy champion explains post-fight how she got the TKO:




There is, moreover, an object lesson here. The following clip has Kaufman's coach telling us that he's never seen a fighter with better strength and conditioning, and Kaufman's performance Friday certainly gave no reason to doubt him, for it showed once more that, all else being equal, strength is often the difference in athletic competition:

Professional athletes will be in the Gulf Coast today as part of a press junket sponsored by the Sierra Club. There, they will survey the Oil Disaster and share their thoughts about the mess. The need for "clean" energy—is there such a thing? or is it "clean" only when not in your backyard?—is another subject that will be discussed.

Several female athletes will be in attendance, among them: Leilani Munter, Krista Bradford Ference, Stacey Cook, Loree Smith, and Chanda Rubin.

The gesture is a thoughtful one on their part, and will perhaps do some good. But to wipe the mess away will require a long-term commitment, one lasting many years. Harder still, the problem of how to supply energy to a world population close to 7 billion, and growing, many of them already living in abject poverty, without contaminating the planet or over depleting its resources. I don't have the answer, and doubt anyone does right now, but I do know that it will take more than a press junket, a concert, a slogan to produce one.

It does seem to me, though, that more could have been done here—and sooner. BP is of course responsible for the spill in the first place, and partly at least for the ineffectual response. But the government—the politicians—too, especially early on when action was most critical.

The early weeks of the disaster must have been a time of amnesia on my part, I guess, for I couldn't understand the devil-may-care attitude in Washington. Nor their incompetence once the politicians finally did take notice. But then I saw a video that jarred my memory, that got me to thinking straight again, and I understood once more that it was all par for the course:

I've always admired Jenny Thompson. It could probably go without saying that she is one of the greatest female athletes ever. But Thompson—a bright, independent-thinking woman—also helped cultivate a new archetype for the 21st-century athletic woman; for example, when she challenged male chauvinists and priggish faux feminists alike with a seminude Sports Illustrated photo. Her response to her critics merits repeating: "I think that women have made great strides in the world of athletics and showing bodies -- the essential element in athletics -- is part of that. It's not about sex, it's about strength. Both physical and mental."

And though her Olympic days are behind her, she is still that same strong, resolute woman today—something two thugs learned by experience last week:

After much bumbling, the IAAF has cleared Caster Semenya to compete again. I'm happy for Semenya, and slightly hopeful that the lesson has been learned so that no one else has to go through such tribulation.

I never thought I'd be saying this, but apparently it is fashion week at the Athletic Women Blog (not by choice or plan, mind you). Today's post is the result of DC Comics' announcement this week that it is giving Wonder Woman a makeover (see right). Reaction to this news, much of it negative, isn't hard to find, naturally. But the timing and the nature of the makeover have also led some to speculate about what might be planned for the forthcoming movie.

I have mixed feelings about the new look myself. The desire to update her look, to do away with the bustier and star-spangled panties, I completely understand. But to my mind this overreaches. The "urban" look for starters. Is there no room left for the simply mythic?

And the jacket. Well, that just has to go. In an effort, I can only guess, to de-sexualize Wonder Woman, they now have her covered too much. Muscle represents power, not masculine power but power alone, and Wonder Woman should be allowed to flex hers once in a while too.



Enough of my opining, though. What do you think of the new look? Leave a comment or a vote.